XPost: alt.california, sac.politics, soc.retirement   
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   From: horrible@cities.com   
      
   A man caught on video violently shoving an 84-year-old Thai grandfather to   
   the ground in San Francisco in 2021 was found not guilty of murder and   
   elder abuse on Thursday, in a case that became a nationwide symbol of   
   rising attacks against Asians during the coronavirus pandemic.   
      
   The jury instead found the man, Antoine Watson, guilty of lesser offenses,   
   including involuntary manslaughter and assault with force likely to cause   
   injury.   
      
   The attack, in January 2021, was caught on security camera footage. It   
   shows Mr. Watson, who was 19 at the time, charging at full speed into   
   Vicha Ratanapakdee, who was out on his regular morning walk in the Anza   
   Vista neighborhood of San Francisco. Mr. Ratanapakdee, a retired auditor   
   from Thailand, died of a brain hemorrhage in a hospital two days later.   
      
   The video quickly went viral, particularly among Asian Americans who saw   
   in the killing of Mr. Ratanapakdee, who became known as “Grandpa Vicha,”   
   their fears about the safety of their own older family members coming   
   true.   
      
   The jury will hear arguments on aggravating factors later this month,   
   after which sentencing will be scheduled. Mr. Watson could face up to nine   
   years in prison.   
      
   During the trial, which began in early December, Mr. Watson did not deny   
   shoving Mr. Ratanapakdee. But the verdict ultimately hinged on whether Mr.   
   Watson had maliciously attacked the elderly man and whether he knew, or   
   should have known, that doing so could result in his death.   
      
   https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/us/vicha-ratanapakdee-verdict-sf.html   
      
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